


Through Blue Tinted Specs

by dulcamara



Category: Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare, Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alec Lightwood Deserves Nice Things, Alec in glasses, Angst with a Happy Ending, BAMF Isabelle Lightwood, Bad Parent Maryse Lightwood, Brief Jace being Jace, M/M, Protective Magnus, Short & Sweet, Smartass Max, Strong Language, Supportive Isabelle Lightwood, Vulnerable Alec Lightwood, Vulnerable Isabelle Lightwood, powerful Magnus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-29
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2018-06-05 07:18:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6695056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dulcamara/pseuds/dulcamara
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It wasn’t that it was ever really a secret or anything, it was just something that everyone agreed they would never mention again. He totally wasn’t sore about it or anything, the four eyed half angel, ha ha, ho ho, no problem at all - note the sarcasm. It was a pure coincidence the way Magnus found out, Jace was … you know and Izzy wasn’t in a good place and he was exhausted. No one knew he was going to be such a perve about it, or that he’d heal the cracks Jace left.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Acquisition

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! I'm Dulcamara, I haven't written in a long time - years, read: years - and would like to give it a whirl again. My writing style is a little strange so I'll be posting a few tidbits, trying out different things. I used to be a writing machine over at FFN then life happened. I have a few things lined up, hope you enjoy. Don't be shy to be a critic :)

“They really aren’t going to bite you know and they aren’t bad at all,”

 

Alec shifted his weight and folded his arms looking really unimpressed at the object staring back at him on the table in front of the three of them. Isabelle sighed and dropped her hopeful expression, she really didn’t see what the big deal was but then, she could appreciate that maybe if it was her in that position, she may be feeling a little different.

 

Jace clapped the back of his parabatai’s shoulder heartily, “Izzy’s right, it really isn’t such a big deal, it’s not like we’re going to go around calling you _four eyes_ or anything,” his tone absolutely did imply that whilst ‘we’ wouldn’t be going around calling him four eyes, Jace himself _would_ be going around calling him four eyes.

 

The prick,

 

“I’m not going to wear them, I don’t need them, my vision-“ Alec was cut off,

 

“-Is not 20/20 and therefore could be dangerous for us,” Alec internally cringed, he hated it when Isabelle pulled the rational card and spoke to his protective side, she knew he couldn’t ignore that. Jace put in the final dagger, the phenomenal arse. He was supposed to be on Alec’s side, parabatai and that!

 

“Sorry bud, you know she’s right. You’re our long range support, all it takes is one mistake one time. It could be me or Iz getting an arrow in the arse or … you know … worse?” he shrugged and took a step back when he was given the full brunt of Alec’s laser eyes.

 

He knew they were right, and it wasn’t like he was all that vain or anything like that. Really what was a pair of glasses going to do. No one was likely to call him names apart from Jace and Alec could and would kick Jace’s arse if he thought he could get away with it scot free.

 

Had he mentioned that Jace was a prick?

 

The three of them stood in silence, surrounding the spectacles in a strange sort of triangle. Alec refused to acknowledge that his siblings’ eyes were on him, whilst his eyes were attempting to blow the glasses up. He didn’t even know how he managed to get into this situation.

 

So he’d had a few bad days, it happened, _it did!_ It didn’t mean there was anything wrong with his eyes. And then he’d noticed the squinting, it wasn’t a big deal, sometimes he just found that you know, forcing his eyes to focus was helpful. It wasn’t his fault if some of the other Shadowhunters thought he was plotting their demise giving them _evils_  or whatever ridiculousness they called it.

 

Then Max, on one of his whirlwind visits – _I thought it was the stamina rune Alec, I promise! –_ mentioned something he had read about the mundanes having something called an optician. Alec wanted to drown himself in a sink, he didn’t like mundanes on the best of days and then to hear that the solution to his _off day_ was a mundane remedy.

 

Bloody fantastic.

 

Of course Izzy and Jace weren’t going to miss it.

 

That _experience_ was definitely one for another day. It was safe to say that Alec would not be returning to _that_ establishment again and it was probably accurate to say that they wouldn’t be wanting his business anyways.

 

Jace _still_ to this day couldn’t recall the experience without pissing himself and gasping for air, the arsehole.

 

“So … are you going to put them on?” Jace asked, Alec jerked, startled back into the moment. He really didn’t want to put then on again. The first time was horrific enough when he had to try them on in the optician store.

 

Then again, Alec was no pansy,

 

He nodded and took a big stride forward, almost knocked into the table and sending everything flying, he ignored Jace’s snigger and Izzy covering her face with her hands. They were probably going to make some comment about him being too _blind_ to see the table.

 

He was just an awkward turtle … _jeez._

 

It was like everyone had forgotten just how generally uncoordinated and awkward he could be with his limbs when he wasn’t involved in his actual Shadowhunting duties.

 

As much as they were taking the piss, he was glad to have them there, there really was no one else he would want there with him. The support his siblings gave him … even when they were taking the absolute Michael was second to none.

 

He couldn’t imagine what would happen if his parents knew he was in this position.

 

He couldn’t imagine the disappointment if they knew he was defective, that he needed _glasses._

some half angel he was,

 

“Let’s just get this over with,” he sighed picking them up.

 

They weren’t actually that bad, a nice weight. Pretty standard really, a solid black rectangular thick rimmed pair of specs. They looked sturdy enough that he could throw them and they wouldn’t break. Something that was going to be very important if he was going to be using them in battle.

 

He wasted no - _additional_ - time putting them on,

 

It was like stepping into a virtual reality world, or what he imagined going through a portal would be like. Everything momentarily blurred and then became impossibly sharpened crystal clear, all in mere nanoseconds. He shakily staggered back and Jace made to steady him.

 

“I’m good, mmkay,” he waved off the hand, his eyes darted around the room as if seeing it for the first time. Were his eyes really so damn _bad_?! He could see _everything_! It was intense, so amazing, so clea-

 

His eyesight went spiralling back to the blurry world he was used to, only it seemed to be so much worse, way worse than he thought it was before. The speed at which it happened careened his body into feeling the sensations of motion sickness.

 

He was stuck between exclaiming and chundering that no actual words came out but a bunch of garbled noises,

 

By the time his eyes and mind had caught up with the situation Isabelle was punching Jace in the shoulder, with what looked like some serious strength, not the playful fighting they usually divulged in alongside side their usual banter.

 

“What the _fuck_ Jace!” she was shrieking, she left him staggering backwards clutching his bruised ego and shoulder as she raced to the other side of the room. Alec shook his head as he processed and he was confused. He didn’t understand why.

 

“Jace?”

 

“By the Angel Izzy, _Fuck_!”

 

“You absolute bitch, seriously though? You’re lucky I didn’t take your head off you moron!”

 

“Guys?”

 

“Who are you calling bitch, _bitch_ there’s a perfectly good reason!”

 

“Don’t make me come back over there and finish the job, arsehole!”

 

“ **Guys**!” Alec rarely raised his voice, but with two passionate siblings like Jace and Izzy, sometimes it was just a necessary evil. The two paused and looked at him, for a moment it seemed that they were going to change him to their target until they remembered who they were really mad at.

 

“Now that I have your attention, What the **_hell_**?”

 

Izzy, as always was the first one in there with her version of events. Alec could already tell this these glasses were going to be a big problem. Having them ripped off his face – that’s what he assumed had happened – had completely disorientated him for a moment.

 

A moment could be the difference between life and death.

 

“This idiot literally just ripped your glasses off your face and threw them at the wall, it’s like he didn’t remember that they cost money, we can’t exactly keep disappearing to replace them and he actually broke them!” She held up the sorry pair of specs.

 

They were actually in a pretty good nick considering Jace probably lobbed them at the wall with some decent strength, the Neanderthal. The frames themselves were still in order but one of the lenses had cracked and the other had popped out.

 

So long, crystal clear vision.

 

Twin hazel eyes glared at heterochromic hazel, blue ones and Jace laughed nervously as if he had forgotten his previously way of thinking when he had thrown the glasses on the floor. In his defence, the brother/sister duo could be quite scary when they teamed up. It was enough to scramble anyone's mind and make them forget their argument.

 

“Seriously though, think about it. We get knocked about a lot when we’re fighting. I know you’re long distance support primarily but you also get in the thick of things. If you take a hit, those things aren’t going to stand a chance and as evidenced here, you’re going to be disorientated for a bit which could be deadly to you or one of us. This isn’t going to work,”

 

Alec and Izzy looked at each other,

 

It made sense, his reasoning.

 

“So, what do you we do now then?” Alec asked, widening his stance and folding his arms, this was all such bullshit.

 

Izzy smiled,

 

She knew exactly what they could do.

 

“I have a plan,”

 

Her brothers looked at her, she looked far too pleased,

 

She shrugged,

 

“It’s a good one honestly, and while we’re at it. We might as well have some fun” she grinned.

 

Alec suppressed a groan,

 

This was not going to end well at all.

 


	2. Hey There Blue eyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks oodles for the kudos! I forgot how anxiety provoking writing can be and I really quite honestly, appreciate it. So I guess this is the real first chapter, this isn't going to be too long, short and sweet hopefully. This chapter takes place post TV show, maybe a couple of days after the end. There are a couple of spoilers mentioned re big events so watch out. Not too angsty I hope, still working on the characters but yeah, I hope you enjoy and thanks for reading!

Goddamned he was so tired, he blinked rapidly and refrained from rubbing his eyes. It felt like little pieces of grit were stabbing into his eyeballs. He wanted nothing else but to face plant his bed and sleep for the next week.

 

“Darling has anyone ever told you how positively decadent you look when you’re tired?”

 

Alec froze and turned away from the computer panel he was looking at; Magnus Bane was leaning against the entrance watching him with deceptively mundane eyes. How Alec wished he could gaze upon those golden green feline orbs and _yes_ he thoroughly understood the irony there.

 

His lips flapped, as he attempted to make a response but his tired brain couldn’t decide on a suitable one – _awkward turtle strikes again –_ eventually he was left sitting there like a bone head with his lips parted and his eyes half lidded with fatigue.

 

Magnus hummed in appreciation as he pushed off the wall and seemed to almost stalk towards Alec, the taller male just did not seem to understand his appeal. He almost presented with two personas, his battle ready, pseudo institute head Alec persona, with his tight battle leathers showing off his almost lanky but toned body and darkened from use runes. His sapphire eyes seemed to intensify to a deep lapis and nothing more got Magnus’ loins aching more.

 

Then the vulnerable side, what he liked to call the Alexander persona, the threadbare jumpers, ill-fitting trousers, his sapphire eyes fluctuating between sapphire and a murky turquoise depending on the light. He often thought he could catch glimpses of hazel similar to his sister. Magnus wanted to swaddle him up in silken robes and drag him back to his lair. Nothing would touch his Alexander if he could help it.

 

The complexity of his character was part of the draw for Magnus, Shadowhunters weren’t often characters of depth. But Alexander … he was _different._

 

He stroked Alec’s cheek, his heart clenching as the eldest Lightwood cocked his head to lean into the touch and sigh softly through his open mouth. Magnus then pushed up on Alec’s chin gently with his golden claw cuff. The last thing he wanted to do was cut his darling boy but he also didn’t want to him to catch any flies.

 

He really should be smote considering how endearing he found Alec’s inability to engage with him sometimes. He did liberally hand out the kudos for the effort though, nothing simultaneously warmed and broke his heart more than watching Alec stammer, stutter and attempt to articulate overwhelming thoughts.

 

He wasn’t even going to _touch_ how much restraint he had to put in not to reach into that open mouth and feel around that moist cavity. Alec was shy and awkward but he was very receptive to Magnus, that sort of power could be very dangerous in the wrong hands. The pure, innocent and _raw_ sexuality Alec oozed was intoxicating.

 

Magnus was determined to be the right hands for him.

 

“What are you doing here,” Alec finally asked, his voice hoarse as through he’d screamed a thousand times over – _Oooh how Magnus wished._

 

Magnus loathed how sex obsessed the boy made him seem but really, since Camille, it was any passing ship in the night. He’d always been a particular sexual creature and age had done more to encourage rather than settle that. Living in such ages where sexuality was more open and fluid and accepting. It was perfectly appropriate to have such thoughts and with the looming devastation, Magnus was not a fool, he would enjoy and encourage every potentially good thing whilst it would last.

 

Alexander was a one of a kind, he was a marvel, he was different and Magnus was hooked, he wanted every ounce of him. He wanted to _consume_ him. Since that first glimpse, Magnus knew there were great things in store for them. You didn’t get to over 400 years of age without gathering the intuition of a mystic, darling really.

 

He may _not_ be able to tell the future, but some things you could just feel.

 

“Darling really, do I need a reason to be anywhere?” Magnus smirked and cocked an eyebrow, he did find it endearing that people forgot how strong he really was. One didn’t just stumble or make themselves the High Warlock of Brooklyn by twiddling their thumbs and throwing a bit of magic around.

 

Alec gave him a very patient look but didn’t respond and Magnus sighed, his Alexander … honestly, all work and no play.

 

“Nothing that you need to worry about Cherub, now, how about we get you to rest?” Magnus moved around as if to assist Alec stand. He knew enough to know how this was working; Alec was suffering from the distance in the parabatai bond despite the fact he wasn’t discussing it, or perhaps even acknowledging it to himself.

 

Stubborn angel.

 

It wasn’t a coincidence that he was sat here still ‘working’ whilst everyone else had dissipated to do whatever else it was that Shadowhunters did. His Biscuit, Jocelyn, Luke and the resident vampire had gone their own way to reconnect or whatever. Magnus was happy for them, he really was.

 

He’d lived through Valentine mark I and really he knew that solid bonds were sometimes the only thing they had left when the body, mind and soul were weak. They would do well to strengthen them, just as the young vampire would do well to fix his frayed bonds with Raphael.

 

Isabelle had withdrawn, Magnus did what he could but between the two siblings, his priority was Alexander. He could continue to do what he could for her until Alec was able to again take that post. The parents were of course oblivious and useless.

 

“I’m fine, the longer we wait-“

 

“Nothing will change, Darling I know you want to find him and I assure you, we will when the time is right,” Magnus wasn’t often known for being compassionate. That was lost after several hundreds of years dealing with emotions and loss unfortunately. For his Alexander however, he could find a little.

 

Alec didn’t look happy and Magnus was pleased to see a familiar flare of intensity in those exhausted eyes,

 

He grinned and hoisted his beloved Shadowhunter to his feet, never mind the almost five-inch difference between them. What could he say, he may look like a mere slender beauty but there were some brawns in there. High Warlock and all that. Never forget darlings!

 

“So what will it be, are you coming back with me or …” he trailed off as Alec careful detached himself, as if he had to force his body to find his feet. Magnus’ heart ached for him. Even when he was exhausted he attempted to stand alone and carry all the burdens.

 

“I appreciate what you’re doing here and what you’ve done for us and me but right now,” he paused, looking down at his hands which were entrenched in each other and pulling desperately at each other with nervousness, “what I mean is – that is to say – Magnus I,”

 

Magnus placed a finger on his lips and Alec’s startled eyes looked up at him,

 

“Alexander you need some rest, everything else can wait,” his smile was surprisingly understanding, “ _I_ can wait for now.”

 

Those enthralling blue eyes, began to fill and Alec blinked furiously to get rid of them. He simultaneously cleared his throat and refused to meet Magnus’ eyes. Magnus swore for a moment …. But then it was gone again, like a speck of dust in the wind.

 

So mysterious that Shadowhunter.

 

“I’ll be fine, I should probably check on Izzy and then get some rest as you suggested, I’ll catch up with you tomorrow?” he suggested, steadfast in his decision not to look Magnus in the face. Magnus however was well versed in the avoidance game and wasn’t going to let the little cherub get away with it.

 

He was here for Alexander,

 

He was going to make sure that he knew it.

 

He lifted that exhaustion paled chin again, to encourage those dazzling blue eyes to meet his, Alec attempted to look everywhere but straight at him. Not unlike a child playing the ‘If I can’t see you, you can’t see me’ game. Magnus chuckled, it was time to put the kiddie gloves back in the box. He knew that Alec was an exceedingly strong person, clearly the coddling method wasn’t going to cut it.

 

It was time for a few home truths, not usually Magnus’ forte.

 

“Alexander, you continually dodged, and simultaneously flirted with me, you were engaged to be married, I crashed your wedding, you continued to be ambivalent with me. I assure you, I am not desperate and do not lack for partners. If I am still here, it is because I want to be and I want to help you. You aren’t in this alone, we have unfinished business and I will wait **_but_** ” he emphasised the but, his lips popping against the ‘t’.

 

“You are better than this, I won’t wait around forever, I may have forever but you don’t. Even when Jace was here it wasn’t him that held everyone together, it was you who was the rational one. Now that everyone has fallen apart you need to be strong now more than ever, because it isn’t going to get any easier.”

 

Alec was shaking his head, it was a half-hearted motion, like he wasn’t even aware of it, he probably wasn’t. Magnus didn’t mean to seem like he was demeaning anything that they were going through. He was sure the little Shadowhunters used to have a jolly old time.

 

Locked up in their little institute, following the Clave, going around killing demons and Downworlders, training and sneaking out to parties. That was their life, but that just wasn’t reality. Something so much worse was coming and it wasn’t going to get easier before it got harder.

 

They didn’t have time to feel sorry for themselves, they had to make like the Downworlders where every day was a struggle for survival. They had to dust off the pain like water off a ducks back and just keep persevering. Alexander needed to do that, he was the glue that was going to keep them going until they reunited and got their purpose back.

 

But he needed to believe in himself,

 

And he needed some damn rest.

 

He wasn’t going to accomplish anything alone and running on an empty tank. No matter how much he might like the lone ranger image he was currently borrowing. His sister needed him, Jace needed him, Silas or whatever that vampire was called was going to need him – _Raphael could be so tricky –_ Luke and Jocelyn. Heck Magnus needed him.

 

“See Isabelle, get some rest, sort yourself out and you know how to contact me,” Magnus’ smile was sweet. It wasn’t often he was serious or deep for that matter. Giving people a verbal slap to the face, wasn’t really his style, he was more of the dramatic joker type.

 

He turned to make his portal exit, how they didn’t think he couldn’t weave fail safes for him to get into the Institute was beyond him – _more fool them –_  but was stopped by a surprisingly strong grip on his lower arm,

 

“You, I- yes – Magnus,” Alec stopped and took a deep breath, “You’re right, I’m sorry. I was an arse … to you?”

 

Magnus refrained from rolling his eyes as he turned back,

 

“Are you _asking_ me or telling me?” his tone was half joking, come on really, there was only so much seriousness he could take. One didn’t hang around for 400 years because they were permanently taking life seriously. Forgetting the state his blood pressure would be, his vanity just couldn’t take the wrinkles that would leave.

 

It would be positively _tragic_!

 

Alec was clearly no stranger to having his own Mariah moment, as he just steamed right on as if Magnus hadn’t spoken, “I _am_ sorry. You don’t deserve this treatment and you’re right. I need to…,” he trailed off and nodded to himself, Magnus had to refrain from grinning when he saw the familiar bright spark return to those brilliant blue eyes that caught his interest so.

 

Magnus took a step back to open his exit portal, it seemed his job here was done,

 

“Glad to hear it Blue Eyes, it would be such a sha-“  He was cut off quite spectacularly by Alec grabbing him by the jacket lapels and kissing him hard, it was awkward – _considering one of them didn’t know to expect it and had his mouth gaping open, super smooth Mags –_ but no one could ever say that Magnus was ever more than fashionable late to a party.

 

Not unlike their wedding crash liplock, it soon became a battle with each letting out little mewls as they attempted to get air into their lungs without separating. Alec’s hands were white with the tension he was creating on Magnus’ jacket, trying to get a better stance with which to merge himself to Magnus. It was like he was trying to desperately pour all his emotions to Magnus. Desperately _trying_ to get him to understand.

 

Magnus’ hands, spasmodic as his brain short circuited from the pleasure, quickly got with the programme and snaked up Alec’s sides, caressing and stroking as they journeyed up to his blush reddened neck. Magnus cupped his neck to two slender tanned hands, angling the kiss to allow better access.

 

They moved backwards as a unit until they hit a solid surface and pressed as close to each other as they could. Alec’s hands fell down and scrabbled to find an anchor point on the wall behind him as Magnus plundered his mouth.

 

Magnus’s knee fell between Alec’s legs and as he threw his head back to gasp in pleasure the lights flickered precariously overhead. Magnus smirked as he moved to Alec’s neck to nuzzle, “I admit, this certainly isn’t going the way I expected it to go,”

 

Alec’s shoulder shook slightly as he poorly attempted to hide his amusement, “Are you sure about that?” he asked wryly, his voice deepened and husky – and _Lord_ didn’t Magnus just want to _take . him . apart ._ he would bet Pandemonium that Alexander Lightwood didn’t know the appeal he had.

 

Those sapphire irises hidden by obsidian pupils blown wide open,

 

He was beautiful

 

“You are intoxicating darling, I’m positive I didn't plan this but I suppose it’s to be expected”

 

Magnus decided right then, that this Nephilim boy was absolutely his, Alec’s greatest weakness was himself. Magnus wasn’t going to stand by and watch him sink his own ship. Not if Magnus was going to hitch his wagon to Alec’s. he had a lot more to lose.

 

“Just …” Alec whispered, trailing off as the flush that had been slowly working up his neck, reached his face and darkened his cheeks. Magnus would broach the innocence and vulnerability at another time but he was never one to deny a pretty thing a request.

 

“Your wish is my command,”

 

The overhead lights, dipped a little darker during the ensuing make out session, time was of no consequence to the two. Magnus’ suspicions about the specialness of the young Shadowhunter was deeper cemented and the cracks formed deep within the eldest Lightwood were slowly filled with the genuine care of someone else.

 

Magnus’ control of his powers was absolute – hello high warlock – but sometimes, sometimes a little feedback could still escape when he was feeling particularly passionate about something. Not that blue sparks would be flying around the room, but cheeky little tendrils of magic, near invisible to the naked eye would find themselves causing trouble.

 

Magic often seemed to have the personality of the welder it belonged to.

 

A shame that Magnus was so _Magnus_

 

Simultaneously the light filaments popped and the doors were stormed open,

 

“Just **what** exactly is going on _here_?!”

 

Alec smacked his head back on the wall behind him with a sickening crack – so quick was his recoil. Whilst he was curled over clutching the back of his bruised head, Magnus, not one to believe in apologising for any behaviour he may decide to engage in, stayed exactly where he was but turned his head in interest.

 

Things were about to get even more interesting with the appearance of Mother and Father Lightwood.


	3. When Siblings Unite

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, thank you so much for the support, kudos, bookmarks and comments! Again I didn't realise how terrifying it would be to actually see what people had to say until I received the notification. Thank you for being so kind. Second, I'm so sorry this was supposed to be up yesterday, I've randomly hit a goldmine of inspiration and wrote more than I was going for, about 7000 words so I've decided to split the chapter. Good news - the next chapter is almost ready, Bad news - the big reveal isn't until the next chapter! Please enjoy!

It was like some bizarre Mexican standoff, if you could imagine seraph blades in place of the guns, Nephilim didn’t really do the whole firearm thing. Magnus had never really seen the appeal of the barbaric things himself, either.

 

It was probably one of the only things that he agreed with them on,

 

“Well? I’m _still **waiting**_ ,”

Magnus refrained from rolling his eyes, of course the harpy was still waiting. She _had_ just walked in on her eldest son, sucking tongue with a Downworlder, she was unlikely to go – _oh golly, sorry love_ – and then walk back out again.

 

Magnus kind of wished she would though,

 

They were really onto a winner right there, who _knew_ his Alexander would be such a dark horse.

 

It really was always the quiet ones.

 

“Alec…?”

 

Of course the father would be the good cop, although Magnus had to give him a little credit. In his own experience in was always the daddy that was the bad cop, it was nice to know that things could be switched around every now and then.

 

“Yes father?” Alec mumbled, his head down and his arm still rubbing the back of his head where he had smacked the back wall, Magnus didn’t blame him. With the sound of that ‘ _crack’_ he was lucky he hadn’t given himself a concussion or something.

 

“Do you want to explain to your mother and I what was going on here?” he asked somewhat gently but still assertively. It was more along the lines of please don’t confirm what I think we were seeing and make me seem like the xenophobic homophobic asshole I’m desperately trying not to be.

 

Again, kudos for _not_ instantly having his Alexander striped of his runes or something equally brutal.

 

Alec glanced up at his father through his fringe and shook his head slightly,

 

“Not really,”

 

Clearly that answer was all his mother needed to blow her top, not that she really needed a reason. Shadowhunters could be a passionate bunch.

 

“Not _really?_! What do you mean, _not **really?**_!” Maryse seemed to swell up like a Christmas turkey,

 

Alec reddened and ducked his head down again, his shoulders dropping like a naughty school boy about to be punished by the headmaster. Magnus cocked his head to one side and tapped his claw cuff against his lips, that was quite the appealing description.

 

It would be a really hot roleplay too,

 

When they got to that point of course.

 

He hummed,

 

Clearly this was the second wrong moment to have drawn attention to himself.

 

Maryse’s war ready eyes turned to him and she stepped forward with clenched fists and a tightened jaw. Magnus wasn’t one to attack a lady but in that moment she looked more like a battle axe, he didn’t think it would go too much against his morals to spirit her away if she slapped him.

 

“Your work here is done _Warlock_ , you aren’t needed anymore,”

 

Magnus’ eyebrows would have hit the ceiling if it was possible, he was being let off with _that_ , considerably less than expected. But then he supposed, with calamity coming in from all sides, it was better to have the High Warlock on your side then against you.

 

He opened his mouth to say something _particularly_ cute, when Alec clutched weakly at the back of his jacket, just out of view of his parents.

 

“Are you _sure_?” Magnus asked lowly, his eyes not moving from the parental Lightwoods but his mood was darkening rapidly. His magic responded to his rising negative emotions and the wooden floorboards creaked ominously. He didn’t take kindly to his cherub being intimidated and going back into his crab shell, it took a lot to get him to peep out.

 

Robert looked surprised by his audacity and Maryse bristled like a scorned cat,

 

“What do you mean _am I sure,_ **get out**!” she had this way of speaking, in which her voice didn’t get above a raised voice but it seemed like she was shrieking at you. Magnus was sure it would be very effective on others. It was clearly very effective on her children, highlighted by the way her son flinched and hunched his shoulders further down.

 

Magnus had probably met her mother’s mother’s mother’s mother’s _mother’s **mother** … _you get the picture. He had been around when the fates hadn’t even considered what would happen if they’d one day thought to put a militant harpy on the planet.

 

In short he’d met meaner, scarier, _uglier_ people than her, he wasn’t intimidated.

 

He adopted a quizzical look and flourished his hand to one side,

 

“Oh darling please, I wasn’t talking to you,” he turned to face Alec head on, taking only brief moment to taste and enjoy the uncensored looks of pure shock on the Lightwoods' faces before he did so – _it was like no one had dared speak to them like that before –_ Magnus loved popping people’s cherries, and not just their _sexual_ cherries.

 

He tried to look past Alec’s pale, drawn face and keep the energy upbeat. His darling was positively shitting himself alright. The silly pickle had nothing to fear, Magnus would never let anything come to him – at least – no harm would come to him from his parents anyways. Well not without them seriously coming to regret it.

 

He held his pinky and thumb up by the side of his face and smiled,

 

“Call me tomorrow darling,” he dropped his smile, to ensure Alec understood the next part was serious, “Unless you need my services, always free for my Alexander.” Alec nodded slightly and his eyes darkened, Magnus hoped that meant he had understood the intention there.

 

He wasn’t thrilled about leaving at that moment.

 

Alas,

 

He’d respect Alec’s wishes for now.

 

With a few swishes of misty, mysterious blue, Magnus Bane was gone.

 

Alec had to refrain from jumping into the abyss with him, or even calling him back. It wasn’t that he was ashamed of who he was – it was just that he was _very slightly ashamed and freaked out about who he was_ – and really come on, who hadn’t gone through periods of their life when they looked in the mirror and quite frankly didn’t know who was staring back at them.

 

He could face the mirror but he couldn’t face the person staring back at him just yet. Baby steps, he’d get there eventually. Certainly, if he was going to be with someone like Magnus Bane, there was no way he couldn’t learn to accept himself.

 

“ **Alec**!” He was jolted back from planet cuckoo cuckoo land by his mother roughly grabbing his forearm and jerked him as though she wanted to shake him. Luckily she wasn’t an idiot and knew with the reflexes he possessed she was likely to be accidentally attacked.

 

He blinked at her,

 

“What _has_ got into you,” he opened his mouth, not exactly sure what he was going to say but clearly, she had no plans to hear it anyways, as she just stormed right on, “Why are you _doing_ this to us? If this is some sort of belated teenage rebellion, then I _assure_ you. You have our attention” his father stood stiller than a statue. Never adding to his mother’s cruel words but never defending either.

 

Alec didn’t know which was worse.

 

When he didn’t respond Maryse, seemed to lament to herself, “Why is Raziel punishing us _still_? What have I done to deserve a daughter that doesn’t know how to keep her legs **shut** but can’t use the ability for something useful and a son that lays with _men_ , **Downworlder** _men!_ ” the disgust was thick in her voice and cut to the quick.

 

Alec stepped back and opened his mouth, this time with every intention to say something – _anything_ – even if it was just to projectile vomit at them. The emotions welling up inside him were so angry and hurt and painful, he didn’t know what to do with them. He could take her hurling filth at him - not really _no_ but he wasn't likely to ever stop he doing so - but Izzy was a step too far, no one spoke ill of his sister, he wouldn’t stand for it.

 

Maryse held up her hand,

 

“Don’t even open your disgusting mouth right now, not when you’ve had that _warlock’s_ tongue licking around like some diseased dog,” Alec just couldn’t see how none of them had guessed that his parents had been part of The Circle, the cruelty spewing from his mother’s lips right now was phenomenal. He felt every verbal barb like a physical blow to the heart, each strike taking a piece of him that he felt wouldn’t be healed.

 

Robert sighed, his eyes soulful and sad but still, he said nothing to defend his first born son,

 

“Alec, you’d better go. We’ll call for you later. When your mother has had some time to swallow this…” he trailed off weakly, like he honestly had nothing supportive to say or add.

 

Alec’s fists clenched and his face burned with a mixture of humiliation and anger as he nodded, he blinked furiously to clear the angry tears desperate to escape as he stormed out the room.

 

At least his eyes weren’t dry and gritty anymore …. Every silver lining and that.  


* * *

 

   
“Come in ….” Isabelle sounded strangely upbeat

 

Alec had already scrubbed any signs of his run in with the parents. The only thing he couldn’t hide was the pale waxy pallor to his skin due to exhaustion and not taking care of himself alongside the kiss swollen lips. It was a shame that Izzy was the kissing queen, there was no chance he was going to hide what he had been up to from her. If that took the attention away from his suspiciously red eyes, then he was thankful.

 

He peeped around the door before he stepped in, always a good shout with such a confident, comfortable sister. She liked to walked around in all states of undress, not even the least bit embarrassed that it was her brother gazing upon her body – _Alec don’t be ridiculous, you’re my brother, now clip my bralet would you? –_ he was a little more prudish.

 

He understood her upbeat voice, the mere sight of the little person sat on her rugged, wooden floors had his whole spirit lifting.

 

“Max?”

 

Said ‘little person’, looked up from his rune book and smiled cheekily, “Alec! We’ve been waiting for you, where were you?” he then pulled a strange look at his eldest brother, a cross between a pout and a frown that made him look like an adorable little goblin. “I wanted to surprise you!”

 

Izzy laughed, and Alec’s attention turned to her,

 

She looked better,

 

Much better by the look of things. She had changed out of those ridiculous ‘sensible’ clothes she had taken up. She was in one of her spicy little numbers, hair and make-up on point and trying desperately to refrain from laughing as she spoke apparently.

 

“He waited in the closet for you for an hour-“ she stifled a laugh before continuing her story, “I didn’t even know he was in there to begin with, I went to the kitchen for a snack and when I came back I heard ruffling in there and assumed it was Church. When I opened it and saw him I asked what he was doing he said he was looking for _you_ ”

 

Izzy lost it and bent at the waist as she cackled,

 

“Do you _get_ it?” she gasped between bursts of laughter, like she could barely breathe, “He was looking in the closet for you?! Shame he was just a few days too late. You’d already come out!” she accidentally snorted at her own joke. Her brothers exchanged looks and Max wound a finger around his ear signalling that his sister was clearly mad.

 

Alec nodded and played along,

 

He’s get Izzy back for that ironic joke when Max’s delicate ears weren’t around. He was more content to see her looking more herself, laughing and cracking jokes again. Max was always a sure bet at being able to make that happen even if he didn't exactly realise what he had done.

 

Alec moved to crouch down next to Max and take a look at the runes he was studying, he almost dreaded to ask what had sent him home this time, “So what was it this time? Did you mistake the hunger and fire rune again?” he asked cocking a teasing look at his younger brother.

 

Max scoffed and gave his brother the stink eye – _did he think Max was an amateur ha! –_ “I’m on break actually, that mistake is so last month Alec, _Jeeez_ ,” Alec blinked at his younger brother, talk about sass level 100. It’s like in the space of three seconds he had gone from the coolest sibling to the loser sibling, he always thought he and Max had a deep kinship. Besides he totally had pulled that stupid trick _just_ last month, being all sassy for no reason.

 

The little shit was brutal man!

 

“Hey er Alec, I was just wondering ….” Izzy trailed off, clearly she had recovered from her fit of the giggles at her own joke – _hey if you couldn’t laugh at your own joke then how could you expect anyone else to? –_ he looked over at her, as Max had gone back to his reading and lost all interest in his older siblings.

 

Adult talk was _boring_ anyways. They never told him anything.

 

She grinned and pointed at her lips before pointing at him and winking,

 

Alec’s jaw dropped, she was shameless!

 

His mouth gaped further open it was a miracle it didn't touch the floor, as her mimed actions got even more obscene.

 

Alec getting redder and redder as Max read on, more or less sat between them clueless.

 

When she began moving around and using other objects to roleplay her obscene actions, Alec cleared his voice loudly, grabbing his little brother’s attention again, “Hey, er _Max_ , I think dad is calling you?” he said hesitantly, almost like he wasn’t too sure of what he was saying himself.

 

Isabella mimed slapping her head – Of all the excuses – Max looked quizzical, he was certain he hadn’t heard anything and his hearing certainly wasn’t any worse than either of his siblings. If anything it was probably better than theirs put together.

 

“I … don’t think he was Alec, I’m sure I would have heard him,”

 

“No really, I’m sure it was him,” Alec didn’t know why he was persisting with it, in for a penny, in for a pound and all that.

 

Max looked so confused,

 

“Seriously, I don’t hear anything, are you feeling okay?”

 

Isabella rolled her eyes, this was getting too painful for her and she wanted to ask her questions,

 

“Max, get out, Alec needs to tell me where he got his _cooties_ from,” she winked when Max groaned loudly, slammed his book shut and jumped to his feet, in quick succession that spoke of his future potential to be a great Shadowhunter.

 

“Ewww! No _thank you_! Keep your diseases to yourself! People should never have naughty contact with the opposite gender until they’re adults,” when both his siblings raised their eyebrows, he glared at them both, “Bigger adults ... married even!... Like mum and dad!”

 

With that he turned and stomped out, Izzy cottoned onto something he had said and started laughing again, “Did … D-Did you hear what he said,” she giggled, “No naughty contact with the _opposite_ gender, I guess you’re in luck then,”

 

Alec didn’t refrain from grabbing the pillow from his sister’s bed and thwacking her on the head with it.

 

Just bloody  _typical._

 

He really loved the two morons.


	4. Wipe off the Dust Brown Eyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good heavens I'm so sorry! I was hoping to have this up earlier in the week, it has been done essentially since I uploaded the previous chapter but I'm currently working on another longer piece and it is slowly taking over. Only a couple (perhaps three depending on how this upcoming chapter writes itself) chapters to go now but the big reveal is finally here. Also just to clarify (if I haven't already) this is working on the TV series because I believe book Max Lightwood has glasses whereas TV Max did not .... and apart from Simon no Shadowhunters appears to have them so far. Thanks for the comments and kudos as always, I hope you enjoy.

“Enter”

 

The tone was frosty, much like his reception was likely to be. Alec took a deep breath and was about to reach with a semi shaky hand to open the doors when Isabelle grabbed at his shaking hand with her own and held on tight. He looked at her questioningly, his attention grabbed.

 

She smiled reassuringly with a pale face, as though she was the one about to face the guillotine. Alec refrained from looking to his empty other side, the side where his brother, his precious parabatai should be stood by his side at this moment. It should be three of them stood there, they were stronger as a trio, he attempted to expel the thought. Jace was gone and that was something he had to just get over. He had Isabelle and that alone meant all the world to him.

 

Once she had heard what had happened, her jaw had tightened, her shoulders had squared and she had simply refused to listen to reason that he was going to face their parents alone, that this was one fight he was ready to deal with.

 

She wasn’t going to let him stand alone.

 

“Ready big bro?” she whispered,

 

Alec rolled his shoulders and refrained from sighing in pleasure when they cracked. At once there was a release of pressure and he knew that alongside his sister he was finally ready to face his parents. As much as he had had been ready to do it alone, he was glad that he didn’t have to.

 

She stepped forward and pushed their parent’s office door open with her free hand, leading the two of them in. Their pale hands still linked together in solidarity. Their parents were stood apart, their mother was stood in front of the large central desk, it was clear that before they had knocked she had been leaning across it, pointing at whatever the two of them had been looking at.

 

Their father was behind the desk, he looked grossly unhappy, not that he would ever say anything if he was. His eyes brightened when he saw his daughter but then seemed confused when he remembered the situation that they were in and who they had called to come and see them.

 

Maryse’s eyes were glued to their joint hands and stance of solidarity.

 

“Isabelle, is there a reason that you’re _here_?” she asked calmly, looking her daughter in the eye as she crossed her arms across her ample chest. Izzy tightened her grip on Alec’s hand betraying her nerves to him but outwardly it didn’t portray.

 

“For Alec,” she replied nonchalantly.

 

Maryse’s lips tightened at the manner of her daughter’s tone. Robert went for the peace maker, good cop role, “Isabelle, there is no need for you to be worried, we’re just concerned about your brother and –“

 

“-Magnus is an honourable man,” Isabelle spoke over him, “and Alec _likes_ men, that isn’t going to change. Don’t you want him to be happy? Don’t you want _us_ to be happy? We don’t choose who we love.” She continued, hazel eyes burning with the passion of her words.

 

Alec stood like an ice statue, they’d already lost this conversation, he could feel it.

 

There were two ways it was going to go: bad or worse than bad.

 

Maryse laughed bitterly, “Don’t be naïve, he is several hundreds of years old, you don’t know him to know _who_ he is. He is and always will be a Downworlder.” She paused and changed courses after receiving a warning look from her husband and an outraged look from her daughter, “Of course we _do_ want your brother to be happy and if that isn’t with the Branwell girl then fine. If he says he likes men then not ideal but we can deal, strong partnerships can _still_ be made,”

 

Alec was frustrated, it was always about duty and partnerships. It was like he was a tool for them to use to better their stance as a family. Because he was the eldest he was the piece they used to do their bidding. They didn’t care about him as a person or even as a son.

 

What about what _he_ wanted?

 

Isabelle snorted and stepped forward into an aggressive stance, letting go of Alec’s hand as she shook a finger at her mother, “ _Listen_ to yourself! Even as a so called _Downworlder_ Magnus has more honour in his left toe than _you_ have in your whole body!” she bit out enraged.

 

Her outburst sparked Maryse, like mother like daughter. After all, whilst opposites attracted, likes repelled. Maryse and Isabelle Lightwood were cut from the same cloth and were exceedingly likeminded when it came to their personality.

 

“Regardless of the way you feel, do **not** forget who you are _talking_ to!” she bristled as she took stepped forward to take a more offensive position, “I am not _only_ your mother but the head of this institute and I **won’t** be spoken to like the common trash you hang out with,”

 

Izzy momentarily recoiled as though stunned her mother could land such low blows to her own child, Alec on the other hand was used to being spoken to in such light. Whilst he and his mother generally seemed to have a good relationship in the past, it was only as long as he did as he was told.

 

The words flew harsh and cold when he stepped out or line – _or_ – more correctly when Jace and Izzy stepped out of line and he hadn’t been quick enough to fix or cover their tracks before the whispers got back to their parent’s ears.

 

Robert moved around the table and gently rested his arms on Maryse’s shoulders as though massaging them to calm her down. The Lightwood women had always been particularly volatile, “Let’s just take a moment, Maryse I understand that you’re upset and I too must say that I don’t understand where Alec is coming from. However our difficult isn’t with Isabelle,”

 

Maryse scoffed, as disgusted as she was with Alec, he _was_ her preferred child - _of these two anyways_ \- obviously Jace was the golden child. She would always have difficulty with Isabelle, partly for making the same mistakes she did as a young Shadowhunter, and refusing to listen to the wisdom that Maryse had tried to pass on to her, knowing - _or at least assuming she knew_ \- how the road was going to end.

 

“She isn’t without fault, if she had learnt way back when to keep her legs shut perhaps Alec would have had more success in keeping the three of them out of trouble,” she snapped, Alec seemed to melt from his frozen statue.

 

He had let it slide previously, but he wasn’t going to let it slide again.

 

Especially not when Izzy was standing there defending him whilst he stood like a lemon.

 

“Don’t **_talk_** about her like that! How can you stand there and talk about your daughter like that,” Alec demanded furiously, unfolding his slumped shoulders and standing to his full height. He didn’t know what image he was portraying but both his parents seemed taken aback … literally. They leant away from him and gave disbelieving looks like they couldn't quite be sure that their eldest hadn't been swapped with a shapeshifter.

 

Maryse however, was too used to lording over her children, to stand for them attempting a coup and recovered fairly rapidly.

 

“I will talk to you both however I wish, you are both of my bloodline, of my body and of my resources. Your duties are as I tell you! I allowed you to get away with so much as long as you played by the rules, the law is hard but it is the law and **_that_** is how it has always been. You are my children but first you are my Shadowhunters, I have raised you as my parents raised me, as their parents raised them. You are warriors, not silly little mundanes. I will not tolerate this **_foolish_** behaviour! Not now, not when the stakes are this high!”

 

Three sets of eyes looked at her in shock at the outburst, Maryse was not one to shout. There was no doubt that the pressure that they must have both been under was formidable but for her to lose, the stern battle axe persona that she usually portrayed was unusual, to say the least.

 

Alec couldn’t help it, he laughed.

 

Three sets of eyes shot to him next, but rather than shock they were almost alarmed, as though he had lost some screws and had finally gone mad. There was absolutely nothing funny about what Maryse had shouted at them and that was exactly why he laughed. He laughed to stop from crying, it was so remarkably sad and infuriating that she honestly felt that way.

 

“…You’re _pathetic_ ,” he croaked, voice husky from barked laughter, the silence was deafening, he reached up with a shaking hand to wipe away a stray tear of fake mirth, “I don’t know what’s _more_ ridiculous that you honestly see us as tools of war before your children. Or that you _honestly_ think that you can control us forever through fear and bullying,”

 

he was an enlightened man,

 

Maryse’s face darkened, “How _dare_ you! You think you’re so knowledgeable but you’re just a child. You know _nothing_ about what is going on here! You don’t know what we’ve sacrificed for _you_!” she seethed, she threw her arm out to push Robert away and stalked towards her son with intent.

 

It was like a red mist had overcome her.

 

Alec didn’t give two shits, he was on a roll for once. He was done being the punching bag. If he was going down, he was at least going to make sure that he had his word and he gave them a message to take home when the day was done.

 

“I know that you were in the circle with the very man back to kill us all, you still share his hate for Downworlders. You haven’t sacrificed a single thing for us unless it’s got you in a better position.” He turned to look at his father’s blanched face, “And _you_ , for shame! As always you stand back and let her treat us like this. Secretly the good guy behind her back with your little gifts, is this how you’ve dealt with her lying back to further the Lightwood name in Idris? How else would ex Circle members be valued as anything but _scum?”_

He never saw it coming,

 

Maryse herself couldn’t actually pinpoint when the thought transferred to action,

 

Izzy gasped so sharply she almost choked on it,

 

Robert’s eyes widened comically wide and he lunged forward for his wife,

 

The doors blew open like an explosive device had been strapped to them, the hinges, door frame and walls holding them were left in tatters.

 

A very fucking angry Warlock stalked in.

 

* * *

 

 

Now he wasn’t saying the blast was akin to a nuclear weapon if one was dropped upon some doors, but when he says he blew the _bloody_ doors off. He **meant** he blew the _bloody_ doors off. Such was his rage that, he didn’t just burst the doors open as he had thought he would when he waved his hands at them. He _motherfucking_ smashed those bad boys off their hinges, they’d never be getting doors back on there – _hell_ – he’d left craters in the walls let alone just blown the doors off. So no, he hadn’t quite dropped a nuclear bomb on the doors but he’d done the equivalent of it – _if_ – there was such a thing.

 

No one messed with **his** Nephilim.

 

**No one.**

Maryse and Robert had their Shadowhunter toys at the ready, they must have thought they were being invaded.

 

In a way they were, by a really freaking pissed off Warlock,

 

With a thoughtless swish of his hand, like swatting an annoying fly, their toys were just that. He hoped whomever he swapped them with was at least responsible but at that moment he didn’t give a single damn. Once track mind and that.

 

He spared Isabelle a glance, the horror stricken look barely covered by the pure relief at his arrive – he _usually_ loved being fashionably late - an unfortunate thing in this instance. Isabelle had warned him of the meeting and her concerns and he'd been unable to shake the bad feeling and made himself available.  Whilst Isabelle was looking rather relieved at his presence she wasn’t quite able to mask the unease at the raw power crackling around the room.

 

Sparks of electric blue, appearing and disappearing sporadically around the room like sparks of electricity.

 

He gracefully dropped to his knees besides his dear Shadowhunter, his eyes covered by his hair and his almost bloodless hands covering a red smarting cheek.

 

A slender tanned hand reached out gently to touch near ice cold – and yet clammy – skin, and was not deterred when Alec flinched back from the contact. When laser like feline yellow green eyes narrowed in their direction with nothing but pure destructive intent Maryse and Robert shifted anxiously and looked ready to bolt.

 

They were no fools, but that gaze seemed to transfix them to the spot, whether through menace or via magic, they wouldn't be fleeing any time soon.

 

“Darling,” Magnus spoke slowly and clearly, as he tried again to encourage Alec to raise his face and meet his eyes. Make sure his darling was tracking, and was still with them in the moment. It was ridiculous to think it had been just a couple of hours since they had been making out and necking, having the time of their lives in such a bleak time.

 

Alec slowly raised his head but kept his eyes fixed on the floor, Magnus’ heart broke a little more for him.

 

Alexander Lightwood deserved so much more than than the hand he'd been dealt,

 

“Darling … Alexander. It’s going to be okay, you’re safe now,” he didn’t change the tone of his voice, he didn’t stop to look at what Isabelle or anything else in the room was doing. Alec, made an odd strangled noise and sniffed slightly before he looked up to meet with Magnus’ own feline eyes.

 

The two would have probably gaped at each other and their eyes would have protruded five miles from their bodies if it were a cartoon. Alec had never seen Magnus’ Warlock mark, his un-glamoured feline eyes so close up before and Magnus.

 

Magnus had not known that Alec had heterochromia also?

 

He was looking at one dazzling blue eye and one eye ... one eye the colour of rich spun sugar, golden honey or the very brilliant hazel that his younger sister possessed. That very eye was also bloodied, with signs of a subconjunctival hemorrhage, a burst vein in his eye. Magnus felt his blood boil and a lamp on the central desk shattered making Isabelle jump, and the Lightwood parents blanch further.

 

“ **Get out**!” Magnus growled, Maryse looked offended and for a moment, Magnus _dared_ her to say something so that he could pulverize her. Robert looked from his son to his daughter and nodded briefly at the warlock before shepherding his wife out.

 

Magnus always knew he was the better parent, for all he appeared to have undergone a personality bypass.

 

Alec muttered something quietly that drew Magnus’ attention back to him, “Sorry darling, I missed that, what did you say?” he asked soothingly, carefully grasping the nape of Alec’s bent head. Isabelle was still standing a good distance from the two of them watching.

 

Odd, but Magnus wasn’t in the frame of mind to explore it.

 

It wouldn’t be the first time; his powers had intimidated people he cared about.

 

“Max, someone needs to get Max,” Alec repeated slowly, his voice still shaken with shock and the trauma of the situation. Magnus met Isabelle’s eyes and she, also quite shaken steeled herself and nodded, “Don’t worry, I’ve got it covered,” she exchanged a significant look with Magnus, expecting him to take care of Alec before she hurried out the room.

 

“Can you stand?” Magnus asked, moving his gripe to Alec’s arm ready to assist as needed, Alec nodded but seemed reluctant to move, he bit his bottom lip as though in deep thought before looking up at Magnus again, Magnus could read the conflict in those eyes,

 

“Can you do something for me?” he asked, he seemed wary of asking.

 

“Anything, you only have to ask darling,” Magnus replied earnestly.

 

“Can you get us out of here discreetly?” he begun, he held his hand up when Magnus opened his mouth to confirm without first hearing the reason why, “I-I …. I need to, I need to get my glasses and I might need some help getting the other contact lens out,” he finished, his cheeks warming slightly, peeking a look at the Warlock through his fringe.

 

No one except, Izzy, Jace and Max knew about his ailed vision, whilst most wouldn’t consider it a big deal. It felt like a leap of faith for him to trust Magnus with it.

 

Magnus’ eyes widened a fraction and he blinked rapidly,

 

“Oh…”

 

How it all made sense now, swearing he could see flashes of hazel when he looked into Alexander’s eyes from odd angles, thinking he’d suddenly had heterochromia when actually it was probably more likely that his mother – _Magnus was going to turn her into a toad_  – had slapped the lens clean out his eye. He hadn’t come across a Shadowhunter with ailing eyes for many many years.

 

His little cherub just got more and more intriguing. The idea of him with some glasses, Magnus’ eyes almost rolled back into his head at the thought. Oh the unlocked potential, this was something he couldn’t wait to explore further.

 

“Absolutely, darling,” he purred, “absolutely.”


	5. It's Always The Quiet Ones

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hii! Sorry for the brief hiatus, this chapter has fought with me the whole way. It is essentially the last chapter, the next one is just a fun one to finish off. I only planned for this to be short and sweet to dip my toe in. I have something bigger I'm working on and some little things. Anyways thanks so much for the Kudos (over 100 thank you so much!) Bookmarks and Comments.

“Darling would you _please_ stay **still**!”

 

He looked up at the door handle with a quizzical face, just what in the world was going on in there? He didn’t usually hear those kinds of noises come from that room. He was never allowed in there, it was almost tempting to sneak in.

 

“I can’t help it; do you know how disconcerting it is to have that _pointy_ gold thing come towards my eyes?!”

 

His head cocked to the side he did rather like gold things he wondered what they were talking about, he moved a little closer to the door and considered pushing it open. It was slightly ajar; it wouldn’t be like _he’d_ opened it or anything. He wasn’t likely to get in trouble for it.

 

“It is _not_ a pointy gold  _thing_ it is a finger cuff! What do you think I’m going to do with it? It isn’t even coming anywhere _near_ your eye,”

 

Magnus seemed a little exasperated; he always liked him close by when he was feeling upset. Maybe that was his cue to get a little closer. A tag in into the situation at hand, killing two birds with one stone, he’d get to see what was happening and he’d get to make Magnus feel better.

 

“Just .... can you take it off _please_?”

 

There was a loud exhalation of breath, whoever was in there with Magnus whined _almost_ as well as Magnus did and that was feat he didn’t think he’d ever see. They had been together a long time. The only one that had come even a _little_ close was the decaying smelling one, but her whining was shriller. Honestly made him want to claw his ears off.

 

Something metal hit the sink and made an interesting sound,

 

It was so _cruel_ how they teased him like that; he wanted to see what they were doing. Before he could even stop it a loud yowling noise was escaping his throat, and well if he was going to announce his presence he might as well do it well.

 

He trotted up to the door and started scratching at it viciously, Magnus hated when he did that. He didn’t see why, wasn’t like he couldn’t get rid of any marks he might make on the wood. Magnus could be such a priss sometimes, and that was certainly _rich_ coming from him.

 

“What’s that noise?”

 

“It’s the Chairman, don’t worry about him just keep holding like that, this won’t take a second,”

 

He wasn’t _just_ anything, how rude. What kind of nonsense!

 

“....and we’re done. Simple as that darling. See now I bet you feel silly for doubting me,”

 

The other one made a comment just as Magnus turned the tap on and made water run, Chairman Meow, had had enough, with a neat little manoeuvre, one he didn’t often use because _reasons_ , he popped open the door and rubbed up against every warm available appendage as he looked up and oh ...

 

_Hello there_.... he hadn’t smelt one of those in a long time,

 

* * *

 

 “Magnus, why is your cat staring at me like that,” Alec looked down at the odd looking cat staring insistently at him. It could be that it was odd looking because it was a fat little blurry mass of kaleidoscopic colour, merging with the surroundings.

 

He really did hate not being able to see, it was so disorientating, and actually sort of disconcerting when animate objects merged with inanimate objects and looked like strange ghoulish monsters that weren’t actually possible if you considered the Laws of Physics.

 

“He’s a cat Alexander, he’s curious, now hush, let me see your face,” Magnus murmured, gently taking hold of Alec’s face and pointing upwards towards the light and moving it side to side as he hummed to himself and inspected the damage.

 

Alec felt his face heating up under the scrutiny,

 

Magnus sighed and let go of his face, “Did you bring your stele?” Alec shook his head; he was still feeling all over the place. The moment Magnus portalled them to his room, he’d simply grabbed his glasses and asked to leave. He couldn’t stomach being there even one moment longer, he was a soldier though. He knew after some down time he’d be fine to return and slot back in.

 

His parents weren’t fools; they knew his worth to their cause, even if they didn’t agree with his way of life.

 

“Come on,” he grabbed Alec’s hand and with The Chairman leading the way – _his bell merrily tinkling away_ – they made their way to the living room where Magnus pushed Alec slightly to sit down. Chairman Meow wasted no time, jumping up to give him a good sniffing.

 

Alec squinted as Magnus puttered around the room, he wanted to put his glasses on but he never got them fixed from the time Jace broke them. Izzy had managed to patch them up with a bit of tape but really, he didn’t exactly want to sit in front of Magnus with some broken glasses looking like some sort of scruff. Sure he liked old, oversized clothes but give him _some_ credit!

 

“So I suppose there’s a story behind this?” Magnus asked, handing Alec his glasses and finally taking a seat right beside him. Holding up an arm as Chairman Meow wandered into his lap and made himself comfortable.

 

Alec reddened,

 

“Err yeah,” he looked down under the pretence of cleaning his lenses, it was ridiculous how dirty they got considering he literally wore them to walk from the bathroom to his bed and from his bed to his bathroom. “Before all this, I was having a few off days, wasn’t able to hit my targets and I guess I was squinting a lot. Izzy and Jace thought maybe I’d hit a wall in training but Max suggested you know...,” his shoulders hunched as his made himself smaller, “...y-you know, maybe it was ... me? So I got checked out and it was.”

 

He looked so dreadfully uncomfortable Magnus couldn’t take it,

 

“You couldn’t take telling Maryse and Robert, _understandably_ , so it became your secret and the four of you never spoke of it again? Somehow you turned it into a game and changed your eye colour whilst you were at it?” Magnus finished and Alec nodded, biting his bottom lip so hard, he was surprised he hadn’t torn the skin.

 

“Do you think she noticed?” he asked, voice small, “I mean she didn’t notice when my eyes changed from brown to blue but...” he trailed off.

 

Magnus shrugged with a wry smile, “To be honest I think she had bigger things on her mind,” such as a raging mad Magnus literally gagging to rip her head off and feed it to the demons that hung around in the pits of the city.

 

Alec looked hopeful at the thought. Magnus hoped he was right.

 

They were silent for a while, and to be honest it was to be expected, it was such an intense day.

 

Magnus was kind of impressed that Alec was still functioning.

 

Magnus turned again to validate Alec as such and found himself almost swallowing his tongue when he saw him. Lounging back on the sofa – _and when did he even do that, Magnus hadn’t heard him move, damn Shadowhunter_ – long legs stretched out, his hazel – _god were they beautiful_ – eyes looking skyward and covered by a solid black rectangular thick rimmed pair of glasses, barely taped together with one cracked lens.

 

He was one hot nerd, not that glasses wearers were nerds or anything but just ... damn!

 

Magnus just wanted to crawl into his lap and _ruin_ him, hell no he could do that later he wanted to make sweet _sweet_ ...

 

“-Are you okay?”

 

Magnus blinked and came back to himself,

 

Alec was staring at him – god _it was even worse having those bespectacled eyes focused on him_ – Magnus coughed and cleared his throat. The tips of his ears must have been red, he hoped he’d ... and _nope_. Alec’s eyes flitted to his ears and a shy smile quirked on his lip before he made contact with Magnus’ eyes again.

 

“I _said_ are you _okay_?”

 

Magnus nodded maybe a little too vigorously, “Absolutely darling, it’s just been a long day. Are you okay?” his eyes softened as he turned the question back on Alec. His shadowhunter looked a little pained but nodded.

 

“I’ll be fine, I’ll go home tomorrow if that’s okay,” he eyed Magnus inquisitively as he said it, “I think after your demonstration they’ll stay out of my way,” he didn’t sound convinced but it seemed that was what he was going to believe.

 

Magnus really did despair for the hopefulness of Shadowhunters, considering their short lifespans, even by Mundane standards Magnus thought they'd know better.

 

“Whatever you choose of course, you have a place here whenever you need it but for tonight I suppose we really should get some rest and I’m sure I could do a little something for that eye of yours,” Magnus wriggled his fingers to signify using his magic and winced at the sight of Alec’s bloody eye. “Red _really_ **isn’t** your colour,”

Alec smiled, his hazel eyes glittered and Magnus really wanted to kiss him.

 

“I could do with some rest, this day feels like it hasn’t ended in weeks and I’d appreciate anything you could do for my eye. Getting a lens in that eye will be a nightmare tomorrow otherwise,” Alec stretched and yawned as they both prepared to relocate to the bedroom.

 

Magnus resisted the urge to follow the slip of skin that was exposed to him as Alec reached up; and instead nodded convincingly, “Yes of course,” he frowned as though realising his response didn’t follow Alec’s answer – _could you blame him, his Alexander was so distracting –_ “Darling, why don’t you just stay with your glasses whilst you’re here?” he asked curiously as they made their way through the loft.

 

Alec snorted,

 

“I guess you haven’t really looked all that close to them, Jace broke them when I first got them, testing out their durability, and as Shadowhunters we’re supposed to live a modest life. I couldn’t really afford to get another pair so I just patched these ones up,”

 

 “Well that simply won’t do, we’ll have to arrange an appointment to fix that sometime soon, maybe London or-,” Magnus started replying absently, removing various pieces of jewellery and putting them away, he noticed an unnatural stillness and angled himself where he could see Alec standing awkwardly in the middle of the bedroom. “-the far wardrobe, should have a few bits and pieces you can slip into unless you’re happy just stripping down,” Magnus interrupted himself to chip in, hoping he managed to keep the purr out of his voice at the idea of Alexander striped down to his skivvies.

 

The glowing red, deer in the headlamps look he was sent, told him he wasn’t quite successful.

 

Oh well ...

 

“Take whatever you like darling, I’m going into the bathroom to finish getting ready,” Magnus would love to say it was because he was being courteous but really it was because he had a beauty regime that he wasn’t skipping for no one – _not even beautiful Alexander Lightwood_ – “Feel free to get into bed whenever,”

 

He smiled at the murmured confirmation,

 

Alexander really was such a cutie.

 

He was standing in the exact same position sans his day clothes when Magnus exited the bathroom in his mauve shiny thick silk pyjamas. Whether the distance had cleared his head enough for him to freak himself into bolting, Magnus didn’t know but the poor dear looked like he was about to split any second.

 

“Alexander?” Magnus called softly and slowly, like he was talking to a spooked horse,

 

The Lightwood boy looked up at him with slightly glazed eyes, but his body was still tight with tension, Magnus couldn’t even bring himself to admire the pale, rune covered, slightly concave washboard abs. Or even the beautifully prominent transversus abdominus muscles disappearing into low waist baggy sleeping trousers teasing his greedy eyes, he was too concerned. He seemed borderline unresponsive.

 

Alec blinked and seemed to renter the room as he looked at Magnus and smiled weakly,

 

“S-Sorry, I was thinking over the day,” he explained,

 

Magnus crossed over to him and pulled him into his arms without a thought, “Don’t you dare!” he said fiercely, golden green eyes blazing and Alec’s eyes widened as though he wasn’t expecting the vehemence in Magnus’ tone.

 

“Don’t you spare them one mere thought, they don’t deserve you, they don’t deserve your tears or your sadness. I’ve known many people Alexander I know people. You’re good people, you deserve more. You deserve to be happy. She might be your mother, and she may deserve respect for having the title, but that’s all it is, a title. What she said is wrong and she’ll always be wrong. She doesn’t know you at all” Magnus didn’t know where the words were coming from, his hold on Alec tightened as he refrained from shaking him with every word. He didn’t know if these were words he wanted to hear all those years ago when he felt betrayed by his own parents or if they were just the way he truly felt. It didn’t really matter either way.

 

Alec cupped his cheek and stroked at him with affection, his eyes bright and shining, soft with appreciation. “I-I …” he started and then paused swallowing noisily as if he didn’t really know what to say, he knew even if he did know what to say he wouldn’t be able to say it eloquently.

 

He pulled Magnus towards him, hiding a small smirk when the other grunted slightly as they bumped into each other, chest to chest. Molten spun sugar hazel eyes met honey golden green cat eyes and stared at each other as if seeing deep into the soul. Their lips met, it wasn’t clear who kissed whom and to be honest it didn’t matter.

 

The kiss was slow and unhurried, as if they had all the time in the world and no one was going to rush them. Their eyes slid closed and they tried to push closer, almost crawl into each other as if being chest to chest wasn’t even close enough. Their hands meandered across their bodies exploring previously untouched paths.

 

Magnus finally pulled away with a gasp and Alec let out an involuntary whimper as he subconsciously chased after the lips he wanted, Magnus groaned and tried to capture his breath and clear his woolly head before things got out of control, “Alexander, we need to slow down or this will become a little more than a slumber party,” he said huskily, eyes twinkling playfully despite the rising need in his loins.

 

Alec’s eyes opened slowly and Magnus’ eyes shuttered in pleasure, his beautiful irises were hidden by pupils blown wide open in his arousal. Magnus wanted, oh he wanted more than anything. He also knew that he had to be the reasonable and that now really wasn’t the time.

 

“M-Magnus..” Alec whispered, his voice was aching with want and his hands were grabbing at Magnus’ skin under his silk pyjamas. All it would take was for him to say yes, Magnus really wanted to say yes, low and behold he had to choose now of all times to be a damn romantic.

 

Magnus internally cursed himself for being such a good sport, the old Magnus would be right in there like a shot but he couldn’t overlook what Alexander had gone through. The Lightwood Shadowhunter meant something more to him than satisfaction. They could wait until a better time, a suitable time when he had wined and dined Alexander or at least worked up to it.

 

“I know darling,” Magnus crooned, leaning his forehead against Alec’s, “trust me, I know, but it isn’t what you really want right now,” he gave Alec a look when the former opened his mouth to argue. “Let’s get some rest, I still owe you a shopping trip, think Isabelle and Max would want in?” he asked, sneaking in another almost apologetic kiss at the end.

 

Alec groaned but accepted the apology,

 

“You’re probably right,” he said giving up and pulling away. In an uncharacteristic move, perhaps motivated by the arousal still humming through his veins he put a little wiggle to his hips as he made his way towards Magnus’ rooms, then paused to glance back at the Warlock, “I’ll just see to myself before bed then,”

 

Magnus’ jaw dropped, as Alec began sauntering off again with an almost smug air around him, it was _always_ the one you didn’t expect. Magnus looked to the heavens and rolled his eyes – _in for a penny, in for a pound and all that_ – before striding forward with purpose to grab Alec’s hand and pull him into a surprisingly passionate, somewhat wet and messy kiss.

 

He grinned at Alec’s dazed face as they pulled back,

 

“Not without me you’re not!”

 

Alec couldn’t stop the playful laugh as Magnus dragged him into his room and kicked the door shut behind them. All the worries and fears from the day momentarily were forgotten by Alec thanks to the eccentric Warlock. As Alec was pushed back onto the plush sheets and met those unusual eyes he mentally gave thanks to Raziel for sending the Downworlder into his path.

 

No matter what anyone said, it had to be divine intervention that had lead Magnus to him, he knew that as long as Magnus was interested in him, he had someone that truly saw him, and actually wanted what was best for him.

 

Alec would cherish him.


	6. Bonus - The Optician

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SURPRISE! Lol, so first of all Merry Christmas/Merry Boxing Day. I tried to finish this for Christmas but I'm about 40mins late. Second of all, I've been trying to write this chapter for what feels like years, I've discovered I can only really write when I'm unhappy and things aren't going well, I have to go somewhere else. So, anyways, I hope everyone is safe and having a great day. You're all beautiful and loved even if it doesn't feel like it. I apologise if this feels choppy, my writing has changed a little bit from when I first started this I think. I appreciate you all and thank you for the support. Even to this day, notifications literally warm my heart. I'm going to finally what SH Season 2 (Lol yeah it has been a bit of a ride, I haven't got to it yet) so hopefully maybe I can write something else, whilst I'm like this. 
> 
> Merry Christmas and Enjoy the final Bonus chapter.

Alec’s eyebrow twitched precariously,

 

He was stood still as a statue, his arms crossed and his mouth slanted downwards.

 

Three people stood in front of him with three different versions of cheesy grin. The smallest one was grinning so large Alec was impressed that he hadn’t split his face clean in half. The middle one had more of a mischievous smile; she was absolutely loving every second. The last one – _the traitor –_ had more of an amused smirk, watching the situation unfold.

 

His arms tightened,

 

“This is ridiculous,” he muttered, not looking at anyone in particularly, he had a pressing feeling that if he made eye contact, his fate would be sealed. He was absolutely, 100% not okay with this plan, it was dangerous and risky and _stupid_.

 

“Ridiculously _brilliant_ ,” Izzy corrected proudly, before mussing her younger brother’s hair, “Besides, it was Max’s idea all that time ago that helped you get your archer’s mojo back, you kind of owe it to him to show what a mundane optician is like,” she reasoned.

 

Alec felt his stomach lurch, his sister was playing dirty, he stubbornly continued to look just past the shoulders of the three of them stood in front of him. That pressing feeling was turning into a ten-tonne weight, he was starting to think that his fate was sealed the moment the three of them had caught up with him.

 

“It isn’t safe right now to go gallivanting off on a trip Izzy, especially if we’re taking Max with us, we need to keep him safe. This is probably one of the safest places for him to be right now.” Alec frowned and Izzy rolled her eyes,

 

“Come _on_ Alec! No one can keep him safer than the three of us, _and_ no one is going to expect us to be going shopping so this is _precisely_ the best time for us to go. Besides you need to be prepared with the appropriate equipment anyways, so it isn’t like this is a frivolous trip,” Izzy argued.

 

His eyes momentarily flicked to Magnus, he was being surprisingly silent, but he had a rather heavy air of amusement around him, and a smug expression on his face. He clearly also thought that Alec was doomed, and of course he was right. All it took was for Max to drive the final stake in.

 

“I mean it _would_ be nice to get away for a _while_ ,” he looked down and gently scuffed a foot against the floor, “I don’t really get to spend a lot of time with you two anymore, you’re always so _busy_ ,” he looked up through his bangs with soulful eyes.

 

Alec breathed out deeply and ran a hand roughly through his hair, he felt so torn.

 

Magnus hid a grin behand his hand, the youngest Lightwood sure knew how to turn the crank.

 

“I understand that it must be _boring_ to hang out with a little brother when you’ve got so much to do. I don’t mean to play up at school but if I get expelled, I get to come home to you guys,”

 

“Fine.”

 

Max looked up as though shocked, “What?”

 

Izzy shook her fists in front of her chest with barely contained excitement, almost vibrating on the spot, “Really?!”

 

Alec levelled an impressive stern look at both his siblings, “We do this **_once_**. Everyone listens to Magnus and no dawdling, to the opticians and back, okay?!” he ordered and both younger brother and sister nodded in unison, sprouting their confirmations.

 

Alec turned to Magnus and sighed, “Are you sure you don’t mind?” he asked, resigned to the fact that Magnus was going to side with his siblings, and he was going to have to face two of the most dreaded things. Shopping and mundanes.

 

Magnus smirked, “Of course darling, the shopping in London is fabulous I wouldn’t miss this for anything,”

 

As much as Alec was thankful for him, _sometimes -_ he resisted the urge to sigh - just _sometimes_.

 

They walked on in front as Magnus discussed his plans for this portal travel. Izzy bent slightly and nudged Max, “Nice touch on the guilt trip, do you really get sent home to come see us?” she whispered. It was one thing manipulating Alec to get what they wanted, it was another thing botching his education because they weren’t an attentive family.

 

Max gave her a disappointed look and rolled his eyes,

 

“What do you take me for?” he whispered back, Izzy leant back in surprise, “That would be stupid, they don’t teach things fast enough and I get bored,” he clarified, when she appeared stunned he muttered about ‘clueless big sisters’ before walking ahead to catch up with Alec and Magnus.

 

Izzy blinked rapidly, her mouth open,

 

Clearly all the brains in the family had been left to the youngest.

 

She was almost frightened to see the young man he would turn into.

 

* * *

 

Goodness knew how they must have looked all sat together in the waiting room with a bunch of mundanes giving them a look like they were something out of a sci-fi movie. Not that he could blame them, considering how they appeared, he supposed wearing so much leather was only appropriate for battle.

 

The four of them sat in a row, in this strangely _mundane_ waiting room – with _flower_ paintings and _pretty_  skirting boards – gathering nervous, shifty looks from the fellow patrons. Magnus was sat with one leg crossed, flicking through a paper fashion magazine, looking like something fresh out of a rave and glitter falling like confetti with every flick of the page.

 

One of his hands was resting on Alec’s own thigh, _obviously_ he, himself was covered almost head to toe in solid black leather and combat boots. If he had a seraph blade or two stashed away, no one could be the wiser.  Next to him was Izzy. Her knees were folded inwards, one foot tapping along to a beat in her head and dark painted eyes following their youngest brother with an amused expression.

 

What little clothes she _was_ wearing were equally leather, and very high fashion. The suburban mum sat opposite her, looked scandalised and half ready to cover the eyes of her teeny bop son, whose eyes were straying towards the slip of flesh showing between her leather skirt and thigh high boots.

 

Max was a joy as ever, and would have been the most normal, if he wasn’t running around like a child high on sugar and proclaiming the strangest things that appeared to startle the patrons, ‘The lenses have _no_ runes Alec, it’s all done by hand, how positively _mundane._ ”

 

The woman on the other side of Magnus gave Max a leery look and then turned her suspicious gaze towards the three of them, like they were kidnappers locking him in a cellar and bringing him out for a day trip. Magnus gave her a disarming brilliant smile,

 

“We’re roleplaying, you didn’t recognise the outfits? We’re cosplayers,” he playfully whispered to her, “We just had a minor mishap with this one’s glasses,” he continued gesturing at Alec. The young woman brightened as though everything had slotted into place. What she didn’t realise was that she had just fallen into the circle of Magnus’ charismatic influence.

 

“I thought I recognised the costumes,” she gushed, instantly disarmed and all suspicions falling away like they never existed in the first place. The two fell into a strange conversation that Alec had no hope of trying to follow. He had no idea how Magnus managed to keep hold of so many different genres, hobbies, cultures.

 

He sighed, and began anxiously bouncing his knees, he knew this was a bad idea. They never should have come. They were far too weird to get away with interacting with the regular people. He looked up at the clock and resisted the urge to sigh again, they still had another five minutes until his appointment.

 

“Stop worrying so much,” Izzy murmured moving to rest her head on his shoulder, although her eyes did not leave Max flitting around the shop. “It needs to be done and besides, look at Max,” they both pause to look at him smiling widely and still gesturing wildly at things that caught his eye, either in store or outside the glass store windows, “This is just what we need right now.”

 

Alec hummed but didn’t respond, he wasn’t so sure that his own views would be welcomed.

 

A bespectacled man in beige chinos and a multi-coloured gingham shirt walked out of an examination room, he was holding a plastic clipboard, he mulled over the written words for a moment before scanning the waiting room, his eyes double taking over the Lightwood-Bane gang.

 

“Mr Lightwood, Alec, Please?” He said brightly, the slight set of his mouth suggesting that he hoped desperately that it wasn’t the eccentric group that his eyes kept stumbling over.

 

Alec couldn't get his words out as he tried to unfold himself from the uncomfortable paisley chairs, Max bounced over positively vibrating on the spot, Izzy jumped to her feet, whilst Magnus. Dear, sweet, normal – if one could _call_ Magnus _normal_ – calmly got to his feet.

 

“I guess that’s us, darling,” he mused cheerfully, as they began walking the length of the corridor towards the optician.

 

Max and Izzy trading comments on how they thought the examination was going to go. ‘ _What if they stab him in the eye with something Iz?”, “I really don’t think that’s how it works Max.”_ The patrons they passed sending them horrified looks if they overheard the comments, wondering just exactly the establishment they had walked into that sunny day.

“Are you _all_ coming in?” the optician asked Alec incredulously, looking the four of them over, head to toe. Alec could only wonder what was going through the guy’s head, the expression on his face was a picture.

 

“Absolutely,” Isabelle smiled,

 

“Just try and keep us out,” Max chirped, his eyes steeling with a hint of what was to come should this mundane attempt such a thing.

 

Alec resisted the urge to put his head in his hands.

 

* * *

 

“So long sighted eh?” Alec mused reading off of the card he had been handed by the rather hasty optician. The guy had positively pushed them out of his examination room, handed Alec a little card and run off calling for a ‘Mike’, Alec hoped Mike was ready for them.

 

Feeling a tug, he looked down slightly at Max, it was his hand tugging at his shirt, “What does astigmatism mean?” he blinked. Alec sighed as he remembered that too, his eyesight was worse than he thought it was. “So the long-sighted means that I can see things far away but things close by are kinda blurry,” he started. Max rolled his eyes,

 

“I go~t that,” he drawled out the words in a whine, “I meant the astigmatism, what does tha~t mean?” he asked again and Alec laughed, he sometimes forgot how on the ball his brother could be, “Right, so that means my eyes are shaped a little weirdly, and light focuses a little differently to how it should,” Max nodded his understanding.

 

The two were interrupted by someone walking into their light, a middle-aged man, rounding off at around five ten stood by them. He was pale, lean with rimless glasses, a shiny bald head and a large friendly smile. “Hi, I’m Mike, I heard Mr Lightwood is looking for some frames?” he smiled, his light blue eyes twinkling behind his frames.

 

Max giggled and shook his head at Mike, “You probably want to talk to Izzy and Magnus, that our sister and his boyfriend. This is Alec but he doesn’t have any fashion sense – that’s what my sister says – I’m Max." he seemed far too proud to be stood there bashing Alec with that description.

 

Alec could feel the twitch in his eye returning,

 

Max could be such a little shit.

 

They were interrupted yet again,

 

“Hey Alec, you’re going to want to come over here, Magnus and I have got a collection of glasses for you to try on,” Izzy said brightly walking over with five pairs of glasses in her hand. Bright and boldly patterned glasses. Alec felt his face drain of colour just looking at them, becoming a homing beacon wasn't exactly his planned outcome for the day. Izzy looked from his face to the glasses and rolled her eyes, “These are for me to try, not everything is about you Alec, gosh,”

 

He barely hid the sigh of relief.

 

“Hi, I’m Mike. I’m here to help you today,” Mike introduce himself again, and Isabelle blinked at him clearly taken aback, before she got with the picture and reciprocated. “Here come Mike, Magnus and I have picked out a massive pile, tell us how we’re doing." She grabbed the store assistant and dragged him to some remote area of the store, nearly dropping one of the pairs of glasses. Max and Alec shared a look before shrugging, they supposed they weren’t going to be leaving any time soon.

 

“So, you think these are the ones?” Magnus asked appraisingly, eyeing up the pair sat on the bridge of Alec’s nose. Mike stood on the other side selling them to Magnus, telling him about the superior fit compared to the other five contenders – Alec really didn’t want him to get _all_ five – the two were in a serious conversation about the quality of the piece. Alec stood looking pretty as they moved his face in different directions.

 

Izzy and Max were trying on various styles and taking ridiculous selfies in the machines made for poor sighted people to see what they looked like once they had replaced their previous glasses. Alec found himself smiling as he watched them.

 

It wasn’t often that they had a joy like this.

 

“Then we’ll take it, and all the trimmings,” Magnus eventually conceded, both him and Mike shaking hands. Within an additional twenty minutes the four of them were walking out of the shop with bags of random goodies. Alec didn’t know why they wanted half the stuff they got, considering he was the only one with glasses.

 

Magnus promised to portal over to get the glasses as soon as they were ready for collection.

 

Alec was exhausted.

 

“So, whose up for ice cream?” Magnus added,

 

Alec could have done without Izzy and Max screaming in his ears.

 

He supposed the mundanes could have done without it too, some of them jumped ten feet clean into the air.

 

So much for getting the glasses and heading straight home.

 

* * *

  

The sun set strangely here, and the smell too, it was different. Alec found that he didn’t hate it though. On the contrary he really liked it, he hugged his legs closer to his chest as he watched Izzy chase Max around the open field around them.

 

It was so strange to see them acting so …. so, _mundane._

 

“Strange isn’t it,” Magnus commented quietly, Alec looked down to the Warlock lounging on the grass besides him, “How easy it is to slot into the mundane life, how for so long we mock them for being so clueless to the dangers that surround them, but actually, I think we’re rather quite jealous,”

 

Alec didn’t speak but picked at the grass blades by his feet, after all what was to say to that. Magnus wasn't wrong.

 

Magnus sighed but changed the topic when Alec didn’t respond, “Those glasses really do compliment you darling, I think today was rather successful don’t you?” he tried again and Alec blushed slightly.

 

Magnus might have found it successful but it was pretty damn mortifying for him,

 

“It isn’t like I’m going to be wearing them that often, my contacts are a safer bet for battle,” he mumbled and Magnus rolled his eyes, “Really now, I know you Shadowhunters are all work no play, but you don’t literally battle all day and pause to bathe in the blood of your enemies,”

 

Alec snorted and couldn’t stop the droll look that crossed his features, “You mean it _won’t_ keep the wrinkles away? Clearly I’ve been duped”

 

Magnus chortled and short his partner a playful warning look, before turning serious and facing Alec head on. The environment around them almost seemed to fade out until it was just the two of them.

 

“Just accept the compliment, would you? You’re beautiful Alexander whether you have brown eyes or blue eyes. Glasses or contact lenses.” Alec struggled to maintain eye contact in the face of the earnest words and the insistent stare. He always struggled with positive comments, not that he had much exposure to them.

 

“I-I, Y-You, T-T-Th,” he stuttered, rubbing at the back of his neck as he felt it slowly began to heat from the rise of his blush. Magnus’ eyes softened with the weight of his affection for the young man in front of him.

 

“I’m not finished just yet, I don’t think you understand the depth of my affection for you but we’re all very lucky to have you, someone who is willing to give so much of themselves and ask for so little back. You deserve all the nice things in the world my darling, and you should never be afraid or ashamed to strive for them. Today was for you and I hope I can give you many more days like this, where I can see you exasperated and laugh and sarcastic, excited and _full_ of life. You’re a gift Alexander Lightwood.”

 

Alec’s eyes widened and his mouth dropped slightly as he stared unabashed and shocked by the torrent of information that had just been thrown at him. He didn’t even know how to process them, let alone respond to them. It was one thing to be complimented, but to be taken apart and put back together with such praise was shattering.

 

Magnus smiled, a small shy and secretive smile just for Alec, he leaned in close and whispered,

 

“You can say thank you now,”

 

Alec’s blush deepened to an extent he must have resembled the red telephone box by the park entrance,

 

“T-Thank you,”

 

Magnus winked, his glittery eye shadow accentuating the action, “You’re very welcome,”

 

Alec found himself chasing that wink and those pink lips for a kiss, just a sensual brush of the lips – they were in public, they were hardly going to start anything racy – he expertly tuned out the loud protests of Max and the loud cheer from Isabelle. He just need to add something extra, he needed to do _something_ to inject his response to Magnus' words, because he was never going to be able to do it verbally. At least, not any time soon.

 

He couldn’t help but think that despite his initial belief that it was a bad idea, it hadn’t been so bad to nip to London to grab a pair of specs. A nice day out all in all, traumatising mundanes, a nice pair of glasses, ice cream, a run around in the park and all sealed with a kiss.

 

They could have done a lot worse.

 

“Shall we?” Magnus asked, reaching out a hand to help pull Alec up.

 

Alec accepted the hand held to him, and stretched once he was pulled to his feet. He supposed that they really ought to be leaving now.

 

He were ready to face whatever would come now.

 

No, that was wrong, he wasn't alone in this.

 

They were ready to face whatever would come. They would do it together.

 


End file.
